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According to a new study, surgeons make a surprisingly large amount of dangerous and careless mistakes such as leaving a scalpel inside a patient during surgery. The study, which was published Dec. 19 in the journal Surgery, evaluated malpractice records to determine how often doctors made mistakes such as operating on the wrong patient, operating on the part of the body and leaving objects inside a patient after surgery.
According to the study, items such as sponges, cotton balls and towels are left inside patients bodies about 39 times per week in the U.S. The study also showed that on average, doctors operated on the wrong patient or body part 20 times per week.
According to study co-author Dr. Marty Makary and a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, these types of mistakes occur at a much higher rate and are just not recorded. Dr. Makary also stated that these types of mistakes should never occur.
This is a shockingly large number of preventable mistakes. When an object is left in a patient following surgery, he or she is put at risk for serious infection, internal bleeding and other injuries. If the object is sharp like a scalpel, the patient is also at risk of suffering perforations to vital organs and tissue.
Mistakes such as operating on the wrong patient or body part are just as serious and should never happen.
If you or someone you love has suffered as a result of a preventable medical mistake, you should talk to an attorney right away about seeking compensation for your pain and suffering. These types of mistakes are not acceptable and should never occur.
To schedule a consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer at Berkowitz and Hanna LLC, contact us today. We represent individuals and families affected by medical malpractice throughout the state of Connecticut.
Source: Live Science – https://www.livescience.com/25754-surgeons-make-deadly-mistakes.html
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